Top 10 Records of 2014

Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello- live at the Norva.

1. Gogol Bordello- Pura Vida Conspiracy: Gogol Bordello definitely puts on one hell of a show. After recently seeing them just this past July deliver a top-notch performance at the Norva in support of their latest album, "Pura Vida Conspiracy" it brought to my attention that with this album, the spirit of their live show was captured quite accurately.

The groups sixth album features both the expected and the unexpected. With songs like opener, "We Rise Again", "My Gypsy Auto Pilot", & "John the Conqueror (Truth Is Always the Same)"  they gave their audience what we know and love; perhaps more importantly they threw some curveballs our way too with songs like the catchy tempo-game-changer,"Dig Deep Enough" with its shimmering mandolins-- also sporting possibly one of the biggest choruses (of oh so many!) on the entire album-- as well as, "We Shall Sail" and it's hidden-track to follow the folk-fastcore infused, "Jealous Sister".

Pura Vida Conspiracy.

There are more crowd sing-alongs on the majority on this album than not; possibly more than any previous album at all-- with songs like, "Malandrino" (boasting those lovely horns), "Is It the Way You Name Your Ship", and "The Other Side Of Rainbow", and of course complete with it's soaring quality, gorgeous hand-percussion and instant-accessibility, "Lost Innocent World". Gogol Bordello delivers knock-out performances with each show, and with each album release they grow more and more--- and its both their relentless energetic shows and ability to evolve on each album that make us so eager for whatever it is they are doing next.

2. Night Birds- Born To Die In Suburbia: I reviewed this a while back after purchasing it for the mighty-turntable and listening to it obsessively. Quite simply an infectiously high-energy punk rock record with a sense of fun and memorability that most bands that try to tear it up this hard are severely lacking in. Worth every penny.

3. New Pornographers- Brill Bruisers: Perhaps a return to form for them, nevertheless this album is both everything you have come to expect and love from the New Pornographers. Somehow this many albums on (this is also album number six for them--- I guess it's a lucky number, go place your bets!) and they still managed to churn out this chest of indie-powerpop gems.

Brill Bruisers.

The album has an incredible range of seemingly ever-present hooks: the rise and fall effect in the title track, that brilliant sense of here-it-comes with, "War on the East Coast", and the shiny vocal harmonies of, "Another Drug Deal of the Heart".  As usual Neko Case has her wonderful lead vocal moments combined with the keyboard-driven stuttering of, "Champions of Red Wine" and again to a similar effect on, "Marching Orders".

Eastern Moon Rising.

Perhaps most notably, Dan Bejar might've  stolen the show with, "Born With A Sound" for the title of most-addictive-tune on the album. The New Pornographers never disappoint and never get dull, not even for a second.

4. Boris Kovac & La Campanella- Eastern Moon Rising: A beautiful release by an insanely talented multi-instrumentalist and composer along with his incredible band La Campanella featuring the textures of soothing saxophone, accordion, guitar, stand-up bass, and a full drum kit. Boris Kovac blends his native Serbian style with various other Balkan styles, as well as tango, and chamber music for a beautiful unique orchestral flavor from this impressive ensemble of instrumental virtuosos.

5. Thurston Moore- The Best Day: Yet another solo release by Sonic Youth's frontman, and its another excellent one. Despite the fact that its sad to see a phenomenal band like Sonic Youth go there separate ways, there is a bright side to this:  the solo projects and all the new side projects of each member that arise from it-- and not just Thurston's solo album, but also his Chelsea Light Moving project--- as well as Kim Gordon's Body/Head project, and Lee Rinaldo & the Dust's recent, "Last Night On Earth" to name a few.

The Best Day.

With this particular album, unlike it's predecessor, "Demolished Thoughts" with its intricately finger-picked acoustic guitar, lush orchestral swelling, and sprinkles of harp throughout its chamberpop-like approach--- "The Best Day" is both a somewhat surprising and yet also comfortable return to the characteristics of Sonic Youth (only to an extent though).

The album begins with the brilliant, "Speak To The Wild" and it's trance inducing quality casts a shade on the whole album as the song fades into, "Forevermore" with its chiming upbeat pulse and shimmering haunting guitar hiss, as it elevates into the chugging opening riff and its layers continue to build; stacking higher and higher until Thurston finally declares, "That's why I want you forevermore" making this possibly the best eleven minutes to suddenly have gone by you've ever heard.

The pitter-pattering of, "Tape" as it hums into its jingling guitars continues the album forward as it gradually rises and falls into the title track. "The Best Day" flares its rock'n roll nostrils with a gritty riff and its lyrical tale, with even a pinch of cowboy lurking in those riffs somewhere, before bursting into a spastic aggressive bluesy solo and returning to a calm after the storm.

"Detonation" gasps before launching off into what feels like the most familiar of Sonic-Youth territory on this album yet, with its slight dissonance and churning rhythmic force coupled with the songs anxiety. Guitar birds chirp on, "Vocabularies" as Thurston's day continues into the shoegaze-ish, "Grace Lake" before finally fading into the closer, "Germs Burn".

Thurston Moore didn't simply front an amazing band called Sonic Youth. He didn't simply write a string of solo albums, some of which are similar (and some not) to Sonic Youth's material. He consistently finds a way to dig into his craft and maintain the stance of a recognizable artist within his own framework and simultaneously make great albums that stay fresh and don't simply recycle old ideas; he walks the very fine line of constant expansion versus staying inside his own box. 

Man Man live at the Norva.

6.  Man Man- On Oni Pond: After having the pleasure of watching Man Man open up for Gogol Bordello at the same show mentioned above. Gogol Bordello can't be an easy band to open for, and despite Man Man being such a different band-- I don't know if anyone else could've pulled it off better that night.

Man Man showcases a sound wild enough that putting this beast in a cage was probably just the right way to package this album (the songs on this album came across so much more in-your-face live--it's not that the band doesn't translate well on record though-- it's really more of just that their frontman Honus Honus seems larger than life onstage).

The group has an expansive sound complete with propulsive guitar, keyboard/synths galore, thumping bass, a variety of horns, a full drum kit and additional hand percussion plus mallet percussion/marimba too. On Oni Pond is a record full of variety possessing a groove and danceable charm, dashes of folk, and an overwhelmingly sense of style that reveals its layers more with each spin.

Pale Communion.

7. Opeth- Pale Communion: Another interesting chapter in the gradual evolution of Opeth's style. It's been of note in any article, interview, publication, etc. that with its predecessor, "Heritage" they took on a more prog-rock stance; however, to be fair they've always possessed elements of both, and if anything they simply added more weight to the prog-rock side of the scale with that album (as well as this one), but elements of metal and their older material can still be found here as well.

The music itself is an impressive landscape as always: crisp clean vocals, dramatic organ textures, gliding guitar solos, complex song structures, intriguing time changes, some of the most killer drumming of our time--- parts of this are practically jazz, but still under the umbrella of metal. Any fan of Opeth shouldn't be disappointed with the incredibly skilled performances taking place here-- some bands could spend lifetimes longer in the rehearsal room and still not achieve a sound this equally precise, heavy, and expansive. The only bummer about any Opeth album being released is simply the fact that it'll be at least a couple years before another one comes out; but on the bright side, you'll be so entertained, by their latest album, and that with repeated listens more and more details of the album reveal itself-- you won't mind the wait a bit.

Kaffepunch.

8. Habadekuk- Kaffepunch: This Danish group have added one hell of a notch to their belt with this release with their latest album, "Kaffepunch" winning the Danish Music Awards, "Folk Album of the Year" as well as the, "Tradition of the Year 2014" proving this band has no fear of a sophomore slump.

The machine of this album is built of many different stylistic bits and pieces: its full of celtic flare, hopping polka beats, and even sprinkled with jazz and swing-- reviving some old Danish folk tunes along the way. The album portrays instrumental virtuosos performing anything from jazz to polka to salsa and beyond with plenty of jigs, reels, and polka to spare; soaring horn work, bouncing piano, melodic accordion, flashy fiddle-work, topped off with a full drum kit for a huge colorful sound.

9. Sharon Van Etten- Are We There: With the fourth album in, Sharon Van Etten has really hit it out the park with this one. Her voice is bursting to its full potential, flaunting her soothing tonality and soulful range. The album displays the strength of her craftsmanship alone, with every song perfectly shifting into another; textured with the gliding piano accompaniment, the gentle strumming guitars, the breezy woodwinds, and soft glittering organ.

Are We There

The album is a gorgeous mist of one sappy tale after the other-- its so incredibly bare, and it seems that its all wonderfully held together by a single thread: Etten's voice.  She doesn't hide behind anything, her voice just floats along the top and she just scoops it up along the way; planting little treasures in the daze of this brilliant album from start to finish. Something so sad sounding seldom manages to be so sincere and yet make you so happy all at once.


10. At the Gates- At War With Reality: I have to admit, though I've always liked them, I had never followed At the Gates too closely either-- but they are both grabbing the attention of old and new fans across the board with their latest album, "At War With Reality". Through various interviews, especially a particular one that comes to mind with Decibel Magazine-- it seemed like a huge concern for both the band and their core audience was the fact that they were finally doing another album 19 years later after stating they would never do a new album, topped with the predicament of being caught in the shadow of their own, "Slaughter of the Soul".  The bands latest offering not only prevails, it exceeds expectations. True, "At War With Reality" is a grower, not a shower, or perhaps more accurately--- it's a grower at first, and then a shower.

At War With Reality.

The songs are somewhat complex and aren't necessarily an instantly accessible brand of metal, but the listen is more than just "rewarding after repeated listens"; it's a layered metal album, that with each listen reveals itself more, each scream grows in emotional intensity-- each riff stacks the chips higher, and the weight of the album grows. With that growth, every previous album served as a building block to achieve the massive effect  instilled on this album. The pulsating rhythm explodes, the tremolo picking guitars, the gliding across the strings on the shredding solos, and the sheer relentless energy of the group boils throughout the album better than ever before--- topped with the signature calling of pure adrenalin setting in with the trademark scream of Thomas "Tompa" Lindberg commanding this record full-speed ahead.

It's not, "good for a comeback album"-- it's simply a good metal album, period-- from guys who pioneered a unique subgenre of metal often imitated but never properly duplicated. This album is evidence of them having this reputation: no one could make an album like them and not be anything more than simply a copycat. "At War With Reality" shows they were hailed by those bands attempting to capture what they created with good reason, and that no one else could ever top them at their own game.

Another diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: James White & the Blacks,"Off White".

James White & the Blacks, "Off White".

James Chance (in this case under the pseudonym of James White) altered his name/bands name a few times: he usually goes by James Chance & the Contortions (usually the name of his backing band)- but on this particular album its James White & the Blacks; same guy. James Chance was part of the, "No Wave"  music movement in New York in the late 1970's/early 1980's. For those unaware, it was a short-lived music scene and somewhat of an offshoot of punk if you will, but far noisier and much more musically nihilistic. No Wave is somewhat loosely defined, as it is difficult to categorize- is often characterized by often (though not always) repetitive and hard driving rhythms often, dissonant sounds, blending punk, jazz, blues, and dance music with noise. Though I'm not a firm believe in trying to sum up an entire musical movement in a few sentences, let alone one as little known and complex as No Wave- this paints a clear enough picture to give you an idea.

 In the case of James Chance in particular, a common stylistic foundation of his music is for the rhythm section of the bass and drums and horn section to provide a solid and surprisingly somewhat conventional form of funk music, quite similar and perhaps a reinterpretation, very derivative if you will, of James Brown; layered over top with the noisier section of the group featuring the spastic vocal work of the madman that is James Chance, with scratchy guitar, his trademark skronk saxophone, and sometimes piercing and wild keyboard/organ hits.

Back of the sleeve...

That being said, as most of you most likely are not familiar with this, be warned: this music is most definitely not for everyone. In fact, it most likely isn't going to be your cup of tea. Realistically, that's putting it very lightly. However, I've always found the No Wave movement highly interesting. This is a seriously challenging brew of music. It's got elements strangely familiar, elements of funk and disco- but with his incredibly defiant vocal attack and armed with his blaring saxophone over top, shattering the part you know, making it fun and almost scary too; all at the same time. James Chance is definitely a strange guy, but he's weird in a good way, it's very entertaining.

I was lucky enough to pick this little gem up while digging through the used bins in Birdland Records in Virgina Beach for $3. Which feels like a real steal since it goes for a pretty penny of Amazon and Ebay- I checked out of curiosity- other than two reasonably priced Amazon sales- one for $7 and one for $10- the average Ebay seller wants anywhere between $20-40 for it. This is definitely a specialty record for a very specific and specialty buyer. "Contort Yourself" is easily the best number and this is one of multiple recorded versions of this tune. "White Devil" is also a standout; the whole album is good and both represents and follows the sound  that Chance has created his unique style in throughout. James Chance is still going strong today and his discography has some really interesting and wild music for those daring to adventure to a music that even when punk rock was happening at the time, was often too noisy/crazy for a lot of punk rockers (that in itself- is kind've a very weird accomplishment!). If you do like this though, your in for a treat- and similar acts such as Lydia Lunch, the New York Noise compilations (on Soul Jazz Records), the No New York compilation, the Lounge Lizards, and many others will be up your alley too. Also, its definitely worth youtubing some interesting information from Thurston Moore's chats and interviews he did on No Wave after the book he released on it (really neat sometimes hour long talks- he did about several of them I've found on youbtube- just really interesting stories of his). He was a fan of and witnessed quite a bit of these groups in person; and the noisier half of Sonic Youth is obviously musically equivalent in some ways to the No Wave material. If your ears survive this and you find yourself craving more, start with the No New York comp. as it starts off with James Chance himself.